Saving Face
by yourmainsqueeze
Summary: Naoto does something unnecessary, but she cannot find it within herself to regret it. Fortunately, Haine seems complacent enough.


The mound of rubble behind her pokes into her back at odd angles. She could get up, relocate to somewhere more comfortable, but she is too busy trying to remain inconspicuous. He is walking in her direction and she is not sure that she can face him.

Actually, she is quite sure that she can't.

Naoto turns her head and let's her hair form a protective curtain around her face. A barrier, to keep his inquisitive, invasive glances away. She roams her fingers across the dirt at her side and carefully grasps her katana, a physical reminder of her quickly fleeing strength.

Her stomach drops when he comes to a stop, and she has to turn her head to keep him from seeing her flush of embaressment when he falls into a crouch in front of her. He keeps himself at arms length and she would be thankful for his consideration, but she isn't dumb enough to interpret it as such. The space is for his comfort, not hers.

"What exactly were you thinking?"

She makes a critical mistake when she turns her face towards his in response. The fire in his eyes burns and she unconsciously flinches.

Ah. She had been hoping to avoid this. It was something she had done in the heat of the moment and, admittedly, she hadn't thought it through. It had all been instinctual. In the time that it took for her heart to skip a beat, she had been at his side taking a blow that had been intended for him.

She doesn't have an appropriate answer for his query, so she resorts to a response that she knows will work. Her lips slide into a frown and she glares for all she's worth.

His eyes narrow and, after what seems like forever, slide off her face in frustration. He clearly wants to say something, but doesn't, and she is grateful that he has stopped seeking an explanation.

Victory is sweet… and short lived.

She pulls her eyes back to his face when the utterance of something like a whimper falls from his lips. All traces of anger have fled from his face and now there are only signs of pain.

She follows the line of his sight and immediately her mood plummets. He's looking at the wound on her side. She wants to comfort him, say that it isn't so bad, but any idiot can tell that it really is that bad. She'll live, but it will probably scar and, in the mean time, it will hurt like a bitch.

Still, she can lie, for his sake.

"It really isn't that big of a deal, and the whole thing is my fault anyway."

His eyes shoot back up to meet hers and she tries her best to look placating. He must see the surrender in her eyes because he seems willing enough to drop the argument that he'd been instigating.

"Yeah, well don't ever do it again."

Something in her stomach twists and it has nothing to do with the wound in her side. There is thinly veiled worry in his voice. He looks hesitant to care, but he so obviously does that it makes her want to reach out to his weary form.

In a moment of weakness, and what does it matter because this whole exchange seems to be made up of moments of weakness, Naoto decides to let Haine in on her secret.

"I wanted to protect you."

His perpetual scowl turns into a look of utter disbelief. The barest hint of anger returns to his eyes.

"That's stupid. I don't need your protection."

He yanks at the collar around his neck-

"I've got this thing, remember."

She hesitates, but then she recalls that the absence of a collar does not make her weak. She tightens her grip on the cold steel of her blade and does her best to remind him that she is strong.

"I know, but I can't help it."

She watches his shoulders tense at her admission and she braces for backlash that doesn't come. His eyes turn soft as they study her face. She cannot hold back a small smile when he sighs in resignation and pivots to slump beside her against the pile of debris.

"Thank you."

She buries the point of her chin into her chest and turns her face away from him once more. This time she is attempting to cover a different kind of blush. If they both weren't so emotionally stunted she would lean over and embrace him, but they are, so instead she settles for this gentle wash of contentment.

"You're welcome."

Perhaps in the future they will both be able to handle such acts of friendship and camaraderie, and maybe even more. Until that day, she will stay beside him like this, happily chasing a past that seems less and less important in this slowly blooming present.

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><p>A few things I'd like to say:<p>

This is my first time writing Dogs fanfiction and setting up a plausible romantic scenario between these two is a lot harder than I thought it would be. Please forgive the blatant OCness/lack of obvious romance.

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I've seen Haine spelled a million different ways and chose this one because fanfiction did. I'm sorry if I picked wrong.

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Finally, let me know if you liked it… or hated it, but keep those messages brief and vague. ^.^


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